The National tribune., 1887-07-21
a2I.S5

e2l SIS
The three-years men were promised 1902
bounty. As the greenback did not then
average over 40 cents in gold valuation this
bounty amounted to really but Sl2025. At
least one-half of the enlisted men did not
get even that, because of the ruling that they
must serve at least two years before becom-
ing entitled TO bounty.
Thus it will be seen that at least seven out
OF every ten men who enlisted got no bounty
whatever. OF the remaining three perhaps
two received from the Government from 500
10 S402 bOunty-worth then from $40 TO
Sl6O-while theremaining possibly got a very
large local bounty.
Nor is the tenth man, who got big local
bounty 10 he considered purelya mercenary.
A very large proportion Of the men who
came out under the later calls were no less
patriotic than those who first responded.
But they were married men, with young
families, TO whom they felt their first duty
was owed. Many who were not married
had fathers, mothers, sisters and other rela-
tives depending upon them for support
When the large bounties were offered this
enabled them TO 90, by leaving behind sum
which would take care Of their dependent
ones for a few months. The size of these
bOunties has been grossly exaggerated. In
some cases, il is true, there were as high
as 81 600 paid. At that time the greenback
was worth only 50 cents on the dollar, and
81 900 would not buy nearly as much Of the
necessaries of life as $3.50 will to-day.
What sort Of an induoement would $3.50
be to-day TO young mechanic TO leave
his family and home and march down to
such awful slaughter as that through which
Grant was leading the recruits sent him in
the Wilderness and at SpOttsylvania, if the
rebel and Copperbead press of that day were
TO be believed, recruit did not average
more than two weeks Of life after reaching
the front, for they continually asserted that
the Butcher was losing an army every IC
days. A man had TO have some stronger
reason than 1000 deprecated psper dollars
to make him face such terrors as he was as
sured awaited him south of the Rappahan.
mock.
A thousand times the biggest bounty thai
any recruit received would not induce one o.
these howlers about " substitutes to take :
private soldiers place on the right bank o
the Rapidan, and 90 through such an ex
perience as the average enlisted man wen
through from the 4th of May, 1864, unit
the 9th OF April, 1865.
1t must be kept in mind all the time
however, that the substitutes and the mer
who received big bounties we're q very small
minority of the army. Hundreds of goot
fighting regiments never saw substitute o
big-bounty man in their ranks. In man,
Of the best fighting States the local bountie
were nominal. Take, for example, Kansas
which sent larger proportion Of her peopl
10 the field than any other State. In all sh
only paid $57,4O7 in bounty, which wa
about 81 head for her fighting men. Re
, duced to gold valuation this was abou
90 cents. Iowa. who put 1900 me-
into the field, only paid out S1,615
III in local bounties, or S2l apiece
S7.35 on a gold basis Illinois, who stand
next 70 Kansas in proportion of her popula
ton which she sent 20 the front, only pai
| out ST., 296,2 POS in local bounties for tn